Tiller



- May 22, 1928.

. 1,670,539 T. W. HICKS TILLER Filed March 29, 1923 Patented May 22, 1928.

entrain stares I, 353M393 rana-"r orries.

rHomAswnIc-Ks, or MINNEAPOLIS, vivinvlvEso'rn.

TILLER.

Application filed March 29, 1923. Serial No. 528,645.

This invention relates to improvements in tillers and more particularly to'tiller blade construction and mounting the same, the

same being an improvement over that type of tiller broadly disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,320,469, dated N ovember 4,1919.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved tiller of the above general character in which the blades are so constructed and mounted as to prevent damage thereto should the blades strike an obstruction during their rotation.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawing and in part indicated in connect-ion therewith in the following analysis of the invention.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, the combination of parts, .and in the unique relation of the various members and the relative proportioning and dispositionlng thereof, all as more clearly outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlying features there of in order that they may embody the same,

by numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by this invention,

drawing depicting a preferred form of the invention have been annexed as part of this disclosure and in such drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout all the views, of which Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view showing a blade connection in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the same in disconnected position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of a modification;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view thereof; and

v Fig. 6 is a side elevational view thereof taken from the opposite side. 5

Referring now to the drawings in detail 10 indicates the usual tiller shaft upon which a plurality of radially disposed tiller blades 11 are-adapted to be mounted, only-one of which is; here shown. The blades are of crescent shape tmounted upon the shaft at one end and conveXly curved along their cutting edges 12, as indicated. Itis, of

course, to be understood that any ,desired number or form of blades may be mounted upon the tiller shaft 10, and it is preferable that they be arranged in an angular relation to each other whereby a more efiicient disintegration of the soil is'obtained. As fully explained in my prior patent, these blades are adapted to coact with the soil as it is turned up and over bythe plow, the

moldboard at the rear of the plow acting as an abutment for the furrow slice while it is being cut or disintegrated by the blades. If an obstruction such as a rock is turned up by the plow of asize greater than the space 7 between the mold-board and the disintegrator, the blades would be damaged if no means were provided for accommodating this excessive mass. One'way of overcoming this objection is to y ieldingly mount the blades upon the tiller shaft whereby they will give way or move relatively to the shaft to let the rock pass between the same and the mold-board.

If desired, reconnection of theblade and the tiller shaft may-bemade automatically as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In this-case,the tiller shaft 1 0 is provided with. a plunger or detent 16 having a pointed end 17 adapted to coact with a similarly shaped recess 18 in the boss 20 of the blade 11; The beveled or pointed surfaces 17, 18, will permit the blade 11 to instantly slip out of connection with the tiller shaft should an obstruction be encountered. Onthe next rotation of the shaft, the plunger 16 will force the detent 1? back into'the recess 18. If the ObStI'llC-r tion is not passed, the operationwill be repeated as may be necessary.

In the modification shown in Figs; 4, 5

and 6, the blade 11 is hollowed to receive a spring 21 which re-acts between an abutment 22 within the blade 11 and an arm 23 at one end of the pin 24 passing through registering openings in the shaft 10 and boss 25 of the blade. The opposite end of,

v the pin 24 projects beyond the shaft 10 and has a certain amount of free movement withinthe slot 26. Thus, if the blade 11 encounters an obstruction as before explained,

in the meaning and range of equivalency of 15 of the following claim.

What I claim is: v

In a tillage implement a rotatable shaft, a soil Working blade mounted on the shaft and capable of rotation relative to the shaft,

"and spring actuated means interposed between the shaft and the blade for yieldingly holding the blade in position to rotate with the shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. v

THOMAS W. HICKS. 

